I borrowed his brightness and used it to see my way, and then gradually, from the habit of looking at the world as he illuminated it, the light in my own mind rekindled.
Geraldine BrooksRead
Men can absent themselves from real life for their art more easily. Women are anchored into the quotidian business of getting food on the table, making sure everybody's socks match, the soccer gear is ready. I admire idealists, but they're usually enabled by someone who holds the tether on their balloon, who pays the bills and sweeps up after them.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote speaks to the differing societal roles of men and women regarding their engagement in art and day-to-day responsibilities.
Geraldine Brooks' quote highlights how men often have the privilege to immerse themselves in their art while women are frequently tied to the mundane chores of daily life, such as food preparation and family responsibilities. This observation suggests that while idealists may pursue their passions, their ability to do so is often supported by someone managing the practicalities of life, emphasizing the disparities in gender roles and the unseen labor that keeps dreams afloat.
Themes
ArtGender RolesResponsibilityIdealismSupport
In practice
Example use cases
In a women's rights conference discussing the balance between career and family.
More from Geraldine Brooks
All quotes →Sydney in the 1960s wasn't the exuberant multicultural metropolis it is today. Out in the city's western reaches, days passed in a sun-struck stupor. In the evenings, families gathered on their verandas waiting for the 'southerly buster' - the thunderstorm that would break the heat and leave the air cool enough to allow sleep.
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...The hagaddah came to Sarajevo for a reason. It was here to test us, to see if there were people who could see that what united us was more than what divided us. That to be a human being matters more than to be a Jew or a Muslim, Catholic or Orthodox. p. 361
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The thing that most attracts me to historical fiction is taking the factual record as far as it is known, using that as scaffolding, and then letting imagination build the structure that fills in those things we can never find out for sure.
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